000164093 001__ 164093
000164093 005__ 20251121161351.0
000164093 0247_ $$2doi$$a10.3897/fr.28.167846
000164093 0248_ $$2sideral$$a146186
000164093 037__ $$aART-2025-146186
000164093 041__ $$aeng
000164093 100__ $$0(orcid)0000-0003-0759-7105$$aPuértolas-Pascual, E.
000164093 245__ $$aNew dwarf crocodylomorph from the Upper Jurassic of Portugal and the first neuroanatomical data for Atoposauridae
000164093 260__ $$c2025
000164093 5060_ $$aAccess copy available to the general public$$fUnrestricted
000164093 5203_ $$aA new crocodylomorph fossil specimen (ML2631) from the Upper Jurassic of Lourinhã (Portugal) is described, based on a partially preserved skull table and braincase. The specimen was recovered from the Zimbral vertebrate microfossil assemblage, located in the lower part of the Praia Azul Member of the Lourinhã Formation (Kimmeridgian–Tithonian transition). The fossil was scanned using high-resolution micro-computed tomography (µCT), enabling the digital reconstruction of internal cranial structures, such as the brain cavity, cranial nerves, inner ear and paratympanic sinus system. These reconstructions represent the first neuroanatomical data ever reported for Atoposauridae, a clade of small-bodied neosuchian crocodylomorphs common in the Late Jurassic and Cretaceous of Europe.
Phylogenetic analysis places ML2631 within Atoposauridae and contributes to resolving previously uncertain relationships within the group. Although fragmentary, ML2631 exhibits a unique combination of anatomical features, including a dorsolaterally open cranioquadrate passage, a sagittal crest along the frontal and parietal, a large, posteriorly placed and septate choana, large supratemporal fenestrae with a distinct posterior fossa and a squamosal lobe bearing a discontinuous lateral groove. These traits, amongst others, distinguish ML2631 from all other known atoposaurid species. Additionally, its neuroanatomical proportions suggest a dwarf adult individual with low-frequency auditory sensitivity and moderate visual acuity, consistent with a primarily terrestrial or nearshore lifestyle, coherent with the depositional environment of the fossil site. Taken together, these results highlight the taxonomic and evolutionary relevance of the specimen and underline the importance of future discoveries of more complete material to confirm its systematic and phylogenetic status within Atoposauridae.
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000164093 773__ $$g28, 2 (2025), 321-346$$pFoss. rec.$$tFossil record.$$x2193-0066
000164093 8564_ $$s10057366$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/164093/files/texto_completo.pdf$$yVersión publicada
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000164093 909CO $$ooai:zaguan.unizar.es:164093$$particulos$$pdriver
000164093 951__ $$a2025-11-21-14:26:21
000164093 980__ $$aARTICLE